Most motorized vehicles include an armrest that extends from the interior surface of each vehicle door assembly. The armrest is typically part of a decorative trim assembly on the inner panel of the door assembly, and is often integrated with a door latch release lever and a pull-handle or pull-cup feature used to open and close the door assembly. The majority of conventional armrest assemblies are self-contained units that are adapted to be positively attached to the door inner panel or other structural components of the vehicle by fasteners, for example, bolts, push pins, or heat stakes. The armrest is intended, in part, to provide a surface on which a vehicle occupant seated adjacent the door may rest the lower extremities of his or her arm.
A door pull-handle or pull-cup feature is typically employed to pull a vehicle door assembly from an open position to a closed position once the occupant has entered the vehicle, and vice-versa while the occupant alights from the vehicle. The door pull-handle or pull-cup feature can also be used as a support surface for the occupant, which can occur, for example, during ingress/egress to a truck, van, or large sport utility vehicle (SUV) where the passenger compartment is often positioned above the waist line of a typical occupant. Similarly, the armrest assembly, including the pull-handle/pull-cup, is sometimes used to support the entire weight of an occupant—e.g., when used as a standing platform for access to the vehicle roof. Depending upon the degree of reliance by the occupant on the armrest assembly as a support, as well as the occupant's mass and manner of loading the armrest assembly, it is possible that substantial vertical and horizontal loads can be generated on the armrest assembly and pull-handle/pull-cup feature.
Armrest assemblies are often relatively rigid and structurally robust in order to withstand horizontal and vertical loads applied during everyday use of the vehicle. However, the deformability of the armrest and, correspondingly, the armrest's ability to absorb kinetic energy imparted thereto is diminished as the rigidity of the armrest is increased. In contrast, the armrest may be constructed using softer, more compliant materials so that it will yield or deform under the force of impact with a foreign or local object. However, the resiliency and durability of the armrest assembly for normal use may diminish with an overly compliant construction. Ideally, the armrest should deform in a manner to absorb the impact energy imparted thereto, while maintaining a sufficiently resilient and robust configuration for everyday use purposes.